Graphic Designer Turned Cartoonist/Illustrator & ADHD Superhero Dani Donovan!

You're listening to the Faster than Normal Podcast, where we know that having ADD or ADHD is a gift, not a curse. Each week, we interview people from all around the globe from every walk of life in every profession, from rock stars to CEOs, from teachers to politicians who have learned how to unlock the gifts of their ADD and ADHD diagnosis and used it to their personal and professional advantage to build businesses to become millionaires or to simply better their lives. And now, here's the host of the Faster than Normal Podcast, the only man who goes skydiving to calm down and focus, Peter Shankman. Hey guys, Peter Shankman. Welcome to another episode of Faster than Normal. Surprisingly, talking relatively slower than normal today. I'm not sure why. It's a Monday morning. We are recording. And Monday is a recording day for me. So I got about six interviews today. But I am psyched to start off the first one with a superhero character. Well, not really. But when I tell you her name, we're going to be like, oh, totally, she should be in like a marble universe. Her name is Danny Donovan. Right? If that doesn't scream of someone who like prowls the streets at night looking for justice, I don't know what does. Danny is a graphic designer. She has ADHD and she came onto my radar because she creates phenomenal ADHD cartoons. And I'll tell you a little more about where those are and how to find them. But she's an awesome graphic designer with ADHD with Diagnostin College. Welcome to Faster than Normal Danny. Hi, Peter. Thanks for having me. Well, it's pleasure. So you tweeted out yesterday that you were nervous about coming on this talk. Why would you possibly be nervous? I'm still not. I don't have a lot of experience talking about this stuff yet. It's still pretty new. I've only kind of been doing it for a couple months. So this is my second podcast I've ever been on. And I just, I don't know. They're like anticipation of not knowing. I guess I worry about ranting and like getting off topic is that's what I tend to do. That's me old dude. That's ADHD. I sort of have my first comic even like came about though. So I guess people are that surprised if that happens. So you got diagnosed in college. Tell me about what it was like growing up with an diagnosed with the ADHD's kit. I, my husband, I was it too. And we actually had very different childhoods. But mine, I didn't struggle as much in school as you know other people might have who do have the condition. Later kind of found out about the like twice exceptional kind of got told you regifted. You better not waste your potential kind of. Yeah. Lots of pressure growing up. So I was, I went to a private grade school, did not fit in very well, asked a lot of questions, talked back a lot, really like you know, didn't raise my hand. But really had a problem just kind of like not dealing well with ambiguity or things that I'm like, well that's not fair. Well that doesn't make sense. Well why is it this way? And they were like stop asking questions, you're seven, just do what you're told. And so most of the stuff that I got in trouble for was really like talking back to authority figures, if that makes sense. Yeah. So then I got switched over to public school. It was a little more stimulated. They didn't just try to like assign me more homework. Which I feel like a lot of places that don't know how to deal with kids who are doing well in class, they're like, oh well you must be bored. Surely you are more work to do. Haha. So. Well that's really interesting because so public school was actually better for you than private. Yes definitely. See I've been a public school advocate all my life. Telling people that. So when you finally got into college, what prompted the diagnosis? So my, I think my parents did wonder. But I was doing well in school and they gave me this fantastic structure growing up that it wasn't quite as noticeable as it was when I didn't have parents there. I do. I think that's a little bit of everyone in college and something. Yes, it was, but it was like very extremely different for me and going from that like not having to really like study, not having to like, I didn't really form great study skills because I usually pick up on things pretty quickly and not having, I don't know any rules all of a sudden just really like, I don't say destroyed me, but it like threw me into a depression. I just didn't feel like myself. I didn't know what was going on. I felt kind of like I was losing control a little bit and then I went and talked to somebody about it and they asked me about my childhood and I kind of talked about what I talked about with you and they go, ah sounds. It sounds pretty familiar. I got some more questions and then they were like, yeah, this sounds like it's ADHD and I like that. I'm kind of notion that like, well I don't like climb on things and you know. So I think there is a lot of that misconception about what the symptoms look like and you know girls sometimes. So, we put on medication. What I was 18 years. They started me on some and it didn't work out well. It made me really anxious and then switched me over and I've been on the same ever since. What are you on? Adderall. Yeah, okay. Cool. There's the two camps. There's the Adderall Ritalin camp and then there's a concert of Ivance camp. So you fall into the Adderall Ritalin camp? I liked Ivance a lot, but they don't have a generic and my insurance didn't cover it. Got it. Yeah. So tell us about what was it like a wake up call for you when you had a name for your thing? Yeah. It was nice. I had kind of been actually, I don't know why I like black this out, but when I was like 16 I had been seeing someone and got told that I had moved to sort of, but like not, they didn't put a name to it, right? They said like, you have a moved to sort of. I'm like, that doesn't mean anything. You know, no, I don't. And then it turns out that people who get diagnosed with moved to sort of like often say, like, or resist diagnosis. And so I had been told that before so the ADHD, what I'm like, I think this makes a little more sense. You know, this feels less like accusatory somehow. And I was reading, you know, the list online and I'm like, oh, yeah, this, this about sounds right. And then the medication just, wow, it was like glasses, you know. So and then I got bipolar two diagnosis later on. Okay. So how long have you been drawing? As long as I remember, like four or five, I think it's always definitely been an interest. I wanted my first thing I wanted to be when I grew up was a comic book artist for the Sunday Funnies. Really? Yeah. It's kind of funny how it has come full circle now. And do you find that graph, so being a designer, being an artist, do you find that that calms you, puts you at peace? Is that like the equivalent of what exercise is for me or things like that? Yeah. I kind of equated to like journaling maybe. I have a lot of thoughts and ideas and sometimes I can express them verbally, but a lot of times it's easier because of the way my brain works, I guess, to just put it into a metaphor or put it into a flow chart because I don't know, I feel like that explains it better for people rather than having to listen to me like verbally walk in circles. You know, I understand. Understood. So tell me about the drawing because that's how I found you. You do phenomenal work, by the way. Oh, thank you. You know, you've sort of gotten this name yourself where you're doing ADHD art or ADHD comics as it were. Tell me about them. So I had seen some like anxiety and depression-related material that I just had really loved and I had actually given like a little small conference talk about mental health comics a few years ago because called like OMG Me Too, Creative Empathy Through Mental Health Comics. And I was, you know, nervous, but it was like a conference where anybody could kind of get up and speak. And there was just this phenomenal reaction to it and speaking openly for the first time about my mental health. And so many people come up to me who just felt we would never seen any of the comics I was kind of showing before and feel really seen. And so I kind of was like, all right, there's definitely a lot of people who enjoy like seeing this, you know, and haven't felt seen before. And I'm like, well, I just kind of wanted to make something that I wish that I had, you know, kind of found. And I had, there's a whole side story, origin story of within heart therapist, but I had been seeing an art therapist which was just phenomenally better for me than a talk therapist having to, I thought it was going to be something completely different than it was. And it was honestly just like the first time I did it, just like breaking down crying. I'm like, this is what therapy was in my brain, you know, not just like talking to a friend kind of thing. And so I had a couple of sessions with her and then I'd switch jobs and switch insurance. Insurance has just like screwed me over more than one time. And yes. And so I couldn't see her anywhere. And then I switched back, got different insurance and came back to make it a point. and she had passed away very suddenly. - Oh. - And yeah, so that was really hard for me because then, you know, I was immediately told, "Well, like, find someone else." I'm like, "You don't understand." You know, if you found someone that you do have that connection with, like, that was a really kind of jarring experience. And so I kind of wanted to keep that feeling going a little bit. Now, the stuff that I'm making now is not what I was making in our therapy, but it feels like it, you know, it feels like I can express myself kind of in this way. And really uncover feelings. I hadn't even maybe thought about before, but it sort of like, I'm covers it self on the page if that makes sense. - Right. No, it totally does. And tell me what kind of responses you've gotten. - Oh, a lot overwhelming. I didn't really anticipate that part. But the messages and the emails that I have gotten from people who have ADHD, who feel seen or who are crying, who are either are so glad to finally have the words or the imagery to share with someone else, their parents or their spouse, like things that they haven't been able to before, or people who are realizing stuff about themselves that they may not have even thought about yet. Like I am finding a new thing out every day, it feels like and so being able to share that, like the rejection sensitive thing, which I just recently found out about and is I posted about in people's minds were just like, I know. So having people comment that their lives are starting to make a little more sense or how many different aspects of their lives are related to ADHD that they didn't realize isn't just them being a personal failure. Like yeah, the back of my car is a wreck too. It's not just you and then from educators and parents and teachers, child psychologists, just a lot of people who want to see this kind of understanding promoted in different areas. So it's been, it's really been phenomenal. - What's the favorite one, the most favorite strip or the most favorite comic favorite? - That I've written. - You're the most favorite that you've drawn, that you've designed. - My storytelling one was definitely the, I mean, that was the OG one that I didn't put a watermark on because I'm an idiot. - I've done that. - Yeah. (laughs) So that got reposted by Mindy Kaling, like recently, which is pretty cool. - That is cool. - And so, but it's spurred because, so that has kind of, a lot of people know that the original said ADHD, and non-ADHD, and all the versions that have been popping up, people have cropped that part off and put my storytelling or normal people in me or like. - I mean, I've shared it as well. And I had no idea how I found you. - Yeah. - I really came from, you know, just, you know, without anything. But that's, you know, yeah, one of the first lessons I teach my corporate clients brand, everything you do. I create a video about Iron Mentor Athlon that was tweeted out by Lance Armstrong several years ago. And I had nothing on it that said anything about me. I'm like, God damn it. - Yeah. Well, I thought I had this weird, like, hang up that watermarking my stuff, like would make me look like fool myself. Like, oh, she thinks that one's gonna take her stuff. Like, whoo, whoo, and that's Impostor Syndrome, which is very close to you. - Yes. And then I'm like, man, why did I listen to that dumb voice? - You got a brand, everything you do, it's all you have. - No one. - No one there, but you know. Very cool. Tell us how we can find you and how we can see your beautiful, beautiful comics. - So they get posted first on my Patreon day before they, hey, everywhere else, that's patreon.com/dadi-dahnivan. And then next then they kind of go on Twitter. I have to do like a gradual rollout. Twitter and then they make the way to Instagram and Facebook. And all of my user names are @dadi-dahnivan, except for Facebook is, oh, that's my alarm. (laughing) Don't mind my DMX. And my Facebook is Dany Donovan Art. - One more question for you. What do you do? What do you do? What do you tell people, right? Let's say there's a 15 year old artist out there listening to the podcast, I probably is. Who's afraid to post stuff because people are gonna, oh, you're gonna make fun of me, they're not gonna like it. What do you tell them, him or her? - Oh, I have lots. My main thing that I kind of tell people, especially people who are afraid to kind of post their stuff for fear of being either critiqued or fear that it's not good enough, 'cause there's with the internet, there's so much like comparison. Oh, I'm not as good as this person. Why would I even bother sharing, who would care? And really just posting your stuff and getting it out there, like ripping off that bandaid is so important, because if you wait and tell your stuff is perfect, you're never gonna post anything. And no one's gonna, you know, even if you do eventually like, yes, this is the perfect piece. I'm ready to post it. It's four years later and no one knows you are. - Right. - So you really have to focus on getting better and like posting stuff and seeing that response, especially for people with ADHD, honestly, that instant gratification and the dopamine hit, that even a couple people commenting or liking that they enjoy what you post will give you that kind of feedback and that, you know, happiness to kind of keep you going versus just doing it yourself in your own little silo. It's a kind of an experience. - So done is better than perfect is what you're saying. - Ah, yes. It's a lesson I try to teach. It's easy to preach, it's difficult to actually do something. - Yeah, I'm with you totally. Danny Donovan, I still think you should be a superhero. Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us. We're gonna link to your Patreon, to your Facebook page and all that stuff in the show notes so people can see how awesome your comics are. And I think they're gonna find out that they've probably seen them already. (coughs) - I've realized it's been you. So yeah, we could drop you a few bucks and maybe say thank you to that. But guys, as always, you've been listening to Fast The Normal. We love that you're here. And we thank you for being here. And you've been listening. You've been posting reviews. Not iTunes everywhere else. And so I encourage you to do that again because the more, or if you haven't done it, do it now because the more reviews that get posted, more people see us and more people we can make. So just like Danny, when they realize, "Holy crap, I'm awesome." (laughs) That ever happened to me. So thank you guys for listening. We will see you next week. (upbeat music) - You've been listening to The Fast The Normal podcast. We're available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. And of course, at www.fastofthenormal.com. I'm your host, Peter Shankman, and you can find me at peterachankman.com and @PeterShankman on all of the socials. If you like what you've heard, why not head over to your favorite podcast platform of choice on the Leapus Review. For more people who leave positive reviews, the more the podcast is shown, and the more people we can help understand that ADHD is a gift, not a curse. Hopefully, in closing themes, we're performed by Stephen Byron and the opening introduction was recorded by Bernie Wagon last. Thank you so much for listening. We'll see you next week. (upbeat music)